SnuggleSnail wrote:Winter was very recent and all the trees in my village have boughs so I am for sure wrong on that. I don't think this significantly diminishes my point, tho
Yeah you're being a little harsh on the state of winter, but I do agree that your overall point is accurate and should receive attention from the devs. I really think the key to making Winter and Spring more palatable is to slow progression rather than halt it. It would be a bummer for crops and trees to grow slower, but what really sucks is totally losing these avenues for progress. It's extremely difficult for a newbie to get into the game when they can't farm, can't plant trees, have a significantly more difficult time fishing and collecting clay. I really loved the idea that someone posed of growth speeds changing per season (pumpkins being much faster in the Fall, etc).
There are definitely ways to work around the problems Winter poses if you're experienced, even on a fresh character, but it isn't intuitive. If you require veteran knowledge of the game just to play in the Winter, you're actively attacking the growth of your player base. I was talking with a brand new guy in game who was lamenting about how he didn't have any idea how to get his PER up to help complete his foraging credo, and I helped renew his interest in the game by telling him about cave fish and how good they can be when spitroasted, but the problem here is he was new and I was not, a newbie who doesn't seek out help may end up just quitting out of frustration. I am not saying that devs should be expected to give people all little tips and tricks in the game to keep them interested, but the fact that this newbie was in this situation speaks to the frustration they shouldn't be experiencing.